View full sizeAmong the presentation boards at Beaverton School District's bond open house was a map of the district with potential projects labeled.

A few parents, however, had projects in mind.

Kim Callahan’s daughter is a sixth-grader at the Arts and Communications Magnet Academy, aka ACMA, which is among the schools that could be rebuilt. It wouldn’t be a complete rebuild of the option school, but a partial resurrection. The district would tear down the former elementary school side and rebuild it, leaving the recently constructed performance building.

“It was meant to be an elementary school and now it’s 6-12,” Callahan said. “They don’t even have (a gym).”

Debbie Chin said she’s interested in all of the projects but said the new high school will affect her the most.

“My son is in the seventh grade and they’re going to be busting at the seams by the time he gets (to high school),” she said.

She said it appeared the district staff was being thoughtful about the approach to improving security across the district, hiring a national expert for advice on how best to uniformly address security at the schools.

“I was encouraged that it will not increase taxes,” Sonek said. “That will appeal to voters.”

Most parents at the meeting leaned toward supporting the bond, especially if it doesn’t jack up property taxes, which the district says it won’t.

Currently, the district is paying off previous bonds and the rate is about $2 per $1,000 of assessed property value or about $400 a year for a home assessed at $200,000.

As the district pays off those bonds in 2014 and 2018, the new bonds would replace them – if voters approve the measure in May, according to the district.

The district is asking people for their thoughts about how to finance the projects whether through a single bond election for $600 million or more, with the projects spread from 2014 to 2018, or two elections for $300 million or more each -- one in 2014 and one in 2018.

School board member LeeAnn Larsen was among the audience members and said she was disappointed that more people hadn’t turned up for the meeting, but added, “There will be a better turnout in December. It’s just starting to pick up steam.”

Meanwhile the district’s bond committee, a mix of professional planners and developers, local government representatives, school principals, teachers and parents, will continue to narrow down the projects. Likely those will be presented at the December 3 meeting.

Ultimately, the committee will make a recommendation as to the scale and scope of the bond measure to Superintendent Jeff Rose. The school board will make a final decision on the bond.

A construction bond is limited to capital expenses such as buildings and technology. The district's last construction bond was in 2006. This is different from the five-year local option levy voters passed last May, which funds teachers.

The project list ranges from building a new high school and rebuilding several existing schools to buying student desks and a new phone system.